TRTWorld - World in Focus: Akinci is set to deal with the Cyprus problem
The newly elected leader of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı, was sworn in on Thursday as the fourth president of the breakaway state. Akıncı takes over the leadership of the Turkish Cypriots from former president Derviş Eroğlu after winning an election run-off last Sunday, taking over 60 percent of the vote. 67-year-old left-wing political veteran Akıncı, who has devoted 40 years of his life to public service, is set to lead his people to a peace deal with the Greek Cypriots as negotiations to reunite the ethnically divided island are due to resume this month.
WINDS OF CHANGE
The election of Mustafa Akıncı as the new president of the TRNC marks a historical change in attitudes in Northern Cyprus. In his victory speech, Akıncı promised to re-evaluate Turkish Cypriot ties with Ankara by making it one based on brotherhood rather than the traditional relationship, in which the Turkey is referred to as the ‘motherland.’ Having served as the first mayor of the Turkish municipality of Nicosia after the island was divided following Turkey’s military intervention in 1974, which came in response to a Greek-inspired coup, Akıncı is long known for his desire to solve the decades-old ‘Cyprus Problem.’
OLIVE BRANCH OF PEACE
During his election campaign, Akıncı vowed to negotiate the reopening of the closed-off Varosha district for displaced Greek Cypriots wishing to return. His proposal to revive former tourist hotspot is part of a package deal which will also see the opening of Ercan airport in Northern Cyprus to international flights. If successful, the deal could end decades of isolation for the Turkish Cypriots, who came under international embargoes after declaring independence in 1983.
TIME FOR A SOLUTION
Akıncı’s election may bring a solution to the Cyprus Problem closer than ever before. Previous attempts to reunite the island fell short of a solution. In 2004, a plan to reunite the island’s two communities proposed by then-UN secretary general Kofi Annan failed when Greek Cypriots rejected it at a referendum, even though Turkish Cypriots accepted it. Despite rejecting the plan, the EU accepted the Greek Cypriot administration as a member state, yet the TRNC remained unrecognized and under strict isolation. However, the recent discovery of natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean is now fuelling both sides to give peace another chance.
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